Theoretical and Empirical Linguistics

Annual Report 1998

CLCG

This research group studies the syntactic structure of the human language capacity and the way it is embedded in our general cognitive capacity. The research program is motivated, among other things, by the so-called logical problem of language acquisition and the evidence comes from comparative and typological research of the synchronic and diachronic variation among natural languages.

Research Results

Several research activities were focused on the further development of a paradigm combining elements of Chomsky's minimalism and Kayne's antisymmetry theory. Kayne's theory excludes rightward movement. This view led to a new approach of the right periphery of sentence structure. Against this background, Koster further developed his theory on parallel construal and did related work on coordination, a topic also worked on by Van Zonneveld. Similar ideas were applied to result clauses in the dissertation of Rijkhoek, defended in December 1998. Zwart's research was concentrated on the verb position in a number of languages, Swahili and Frisian among them. He also wrote on binding conditions and middle constructions. Other highlights of 1998 were Kampers-Manhe's work on constructions with inverted subjects and De Haan's work on language contact, particularly the strong incorporation of features from Dutch into the grammar of Frisian. Work on optimality theory was represented by Ackema's research on passive formation and questions.